Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

I just acquired this plane tonight. It has a plastic fuselage and probably a foam wing. There are no servos in it but the spacing appears to be for older servos like Duramite, Heathkit, or similar. Does anyone know what this plane is and/or who manufactured it and the approximate age? Thanks for any assistance.

Neal

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

I'm thinking a Lanier plane, maybe late 70's? They were early ARF people back then. No idea of the name.

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

Yeah, looks like a Lanier - Jester perhaps.

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

I thought Lanier too except there were very few Lanier designs with a vertical join of the fuselage like their Intruder. This one also has the vertical stab molded as part of fuselage and most Lanier kits had a separate stab that you glued on. Jester image below.

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

Lanier jester

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

How about a Pilot kit from around the early to mid 70's?
Maybe something like a QB 40L or Quick Fly 40. Maybe
someone can dig up a RCM from that time to check.

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

I think you are correct, as I recall they had vertical joined fuselages. That looks like a old Super Tiger G-21 40 in the nose.

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

Looks like an old Dee Bee kit to me. Not sure of the exact model but one was the Alpha.

Peace

Mark O

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

Before I posted the question, I tried to research this plane and the Jester was the closest I could find but it's a little off from the Jester, especially the length and location of the cockpit. The tail also appears a little different, at least from the pictures I found. The engine did not come with the plane and was put there to hold the nose down while I took the pictures. It is an old Super Tigre 56 that I inherited from my wife's dad. It had been sitting for forty years or so and we disassembled and cleaned it. It started right up and ran like a top and appears to have almost no run time. I will probably use it in this plane and since we have no noise restrictions at our field, I want to keep it original with just the baffle which closes at idle. Thanks for those that offered suggestions on this plane so far.

Neal

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

Neither Dee Bee nor Lanier utilized the type of hinges demonstrated in the vertical fin/rudder assembly. This looks Japanese to me.


Ed Cregger

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

Neal,

Here's a picture of a Kwik Fly 3 from the Kwik Fly Mk 3 build thread.
They look like almost the same plane. I checked a old Lanier catalog
and could not find anything that looks like your plane. I may have an
old Dee Bee catalog, I have to dig the kit out to check.

If you plan to fly without a muffler, there's no way known to man (not
to me anyway) to keep the oil out of this type of plane. Once the oil
finds it's way in (and it will), there no way to get it out. Something to
think about and JMHO.

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

Maybe an old MK Champion? They had a plastic fuse.

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

It does look a lot like the Kwik Fly. I just started flying last fall but the older pattern stuff intrigues me so I grabbed this plane when the LHS gave me a price I couldn't refuse. It will get me started until I can build something. Thanks for the thoughts on the oil soaked fuselage. I did notice that there is a large hole in the firewall which permits direct access into the radio compartment so I guess I'll stick a different motor on it. I just picked up an old K&B .61 and a Kraft .61, both with mufflers so maybe one of those would be a better choice.

On another note, after I cleaned the plane I noticed a hairline crack about an inch long just behind the cockpit on the top of the fuselage. What's the best way to repair or strengthen this. There is enough access to the crack from inside that I could fiberglass and epoxy from inside. That would leave the external color unchanged. Will that work or is there a better method?

Thanks again to all who have responded.

Neal

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

Gluing plastic always seems to be a bit of a pain. With plastic, a solvent "weld" is the best method, but there are so many types of plastic finding the correct solvent is hard. If you use epoxy, make sure you scuff the area you are going to repair, otherwise it'll most likely not adhere just pop off. Nice plane by the way![8D]

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

what type of wing is it?dee bee used a very thin plastic covering over foam thet loosened over time.if it is a built up wing there were several aftermarket plastic kwik fly fuselages offered back in the late 60's early 70's as well as fiberglass.,could be one of them.

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

The covering is, as you say, a thin plastic film directly over foam. The covering is fairly tight with only a little loosening in an area where there was a slight dent. I'm guessing this is not a heat-shrink covering. Is that correct?

Thanks,

Neal

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

To fix the crack, try RTV silicone gel from the hardware store.

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

Ahhh the old Jester. I currently have one NIB. I had a nostalgia attack and couldn’t resist buying it after our club president won it in a raffle. The price on the box is marked as $173 but I am sure that this isn’t correct. As well as I remember about $70 was the right price.

I think ‘roncoleman’ had it right on the dates. I had my last one in ’76. It came to an early demise when I let it get too slow when turning final and I did the ole snap spin right off the end of the runway.

Lanier did have some innovative ideas back in the ‘70s. They figured out a way to make the whole fuselage a crumple zone, thereby preserving the integrity of the wing and tail section.

I worked on it for a couple of days trying to repair it but it was not to be. Years later I ran across one of the fellows that worked in the Lanier production area and he indicated that repairing the plastic parts was a snap. He started the explanation with “all you got to do is”, and I quickly stopped listening. He obviously had many more resources at the plant than I did in my meager shop.

Right now it is sitting on the shelf with about a dozen of its un-built friends, waiting for his turn in line. With the price that old classics are bringing on eBay, maybe I will list it and see if there are any other old modelers that remember the Jester.

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

Don, it does look a lot like the Jester with two notable exceptions. First, the cockpit is entirely different. On mine the top of the fuselage is straight and the cockpit extends from the front of the wing to behind the wing. Secondly, the vertical stabilizer on mine is part of the molded fuselage, not a separate piece and the stab/rudder has a distinct downward slope to the rear of the plane not flat like the picture of the Jester. Other than that, they appear remarkably similar so I wonder if there were changes to the kit through the production run over the years that would account for those differences? Thanks for posting the pics.

Neal

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

I'm thinking MK Champion like Propbuster. Not sure though but the colors are correct for the MK. hmmm.


DM

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

It was made by Pilot. Not sure what the model is. Dad used to have a Shell-Fly 40 and the construction is exactly the same including the prehinged rudder. Same colors too. The Shell-Fly had a swept rudder though. Wish I could find another one as they were very good flying airplanes.

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

And to fix the crack, use some Celastic, if you can find it. (Enviros have gotten it discontinued, I think.) Best stuff for strengthening a plastic fuse. If you do find some, be careful as the solvent used, MEK or the like, will melt the plastic too if it is too wet.

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

I did a search and found a picture of the Pilot Shell-Fly and it is very close to this plane. I'm sure you're right that it was a Pilot kit as even the cockpit color and dark blue look the same. Do you know when the Pilot kits were manufactured and where I might obtain any more info? Also, do you remember what engine your dad used and anything about the flying characteristics?

Thanks,

Neal

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

That is a Pilot Skynight. I learned on a Pilot Gull, then Olympia, then Shell Fly then the Skynight. I would kill for that plane.

Bill

RE: Help identifying old plastic pattern plane
 

Early 70's on manufacture. Don't have exact year. We got out of flying for a while between early and late seventies and he had it before then. He used an OS .40 of the same vintage and it flew with plenty authority. No idea where to get more info. I am sure that World Engines (bought out by ISC and now defunct) carried it. Dad was a World Engines dealer and so we got all of the Japanese stuff through them.